In 1950, she became the first female Portfolio Secretary for the church's foreign missions, where she oversaw missions in Africa and the Middle East.

"She had a wonderful grasp of Middle Eastern culture," said friend Rosemary Bledsoe.

In 1956, Dr. Gray was appointed to the Beirut College for Women, where she taught biblical literature. In 1959, she became president of the college, helping it make a transition to full Lebanese leadership.

In 1974, Dr. Gray received the Order of the Taj (Crown) from the shah of Iran for her work there.

Though she had been told that protocol dictated she not speak to the shah when he presented her award, the quietly determined Dr. Gray was concerned that nearby residents still had no fresh water, said Bledsoe. So she asked him about it.

"Everybody gasped," Bledsoe said, "but he was nice about it and they got their water."